A three-year-old Mexican girl died this month after contracting the H5N1 avian flu, according to a report published this week by the World Health Organization.
Authorities say that avian flu strains are circulating in wild birds across North America known as D1.1. This is the same strain that was involved earlier this year, and for people who were placed on life support for several weeks before recovering.
Two other people, Wyoming people and Ohio poultry workers, were also reported to suffer from severe illness after being exposed to the virus strain.
Strain has been detected.
“The Mexican case is another big reminder of how dangerous the H5 virus is,” says Richard Webby, an infectious disease expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
D1.1 shares are widespread in the US and Canada, but he said it was unclear how far the stock has moved until this week.
“This has been a very active virus up until now,” he said, “In both birds and humans, further spread will definitely lead to more infections.”
He said the researchers are currently awaiting the publication of the genetic sequence. It said this would provide more information as to whether there have been further changes that could make it more serious and/or contagious.
Symptoms in the young girl, including fever, mal neglect and vomiting began on March 7th. She was admitted to a hospital in Durango on March 13th due to respiratory failure. She was treated the next day with the antiviral drug oseltamivir. On March 16, she was transferred to another hospital in Toréon.
She passed away on April 8th of “respiratory complications.”
WHO reports that the girl had no underlying medical condition, had not received a seasonal flu vaccine, or had no history of travel.
The cause of infection in children is under investigation.
The report found 91 people were identified as contact information for young children, including 21 household contacts, 60 healthcare workers and 10 from childcare centers. Each of these has been tested, all tested negative for the virus.
Between 2022 and August 2024, 75 H5N1 poultry outbreaks have been reported in Mexico, but not in Durango. At the end of January 2025, a sick vulture was diagnosed with the virus at the Sahatoba Zoo in Durango. Additionally, dozens of wild birds in the province, including Canadian geese, have been reported.
The virus is still circulating in US dairy products, poultry, wild birds and wild mammals. According to the US Department of Agriculture, there were 15 new reports of infected dairy products from California, Idaho’s 15 groups and one from Arizona.
There were also dozens of cats infected with the virus. This includes two in orange and the other in Alameda.
since the virus was first reported in dairy flocks in March 2024, 70 cases of H5N1 avian influenza have been reported in the US. One person from Louisiana over the age of 65 had died.
Health officials say the risk of H5N1 bird flu to the general public remains low and there were no signs of human-to-person spread. Most cases are related to contact with infected livestock.
